Deadline for Fall River small-business grants approaching

April 10, 2020 : Fall River Herald News, by Linda Murphy

FALL RIVER – Monday, April 13, is the last day for businesses to apply for grants provided through the Fall River Transformative Development Initiative.

A total of $90,000 is available through the TDI for small businesses. Grants to individual businesses and organizations will not exceed $5,000.

TDI, a MassDevelopment program for Gateway Cities, has been working with a cross-sector partnership of community members and business groups in the city for the past couple of years to implement local economic development initiatives including the formation of the South Main Street Revitalization District. Last month, as the effects of the coronavirus on businesses began to unfold, the group created an online survey for businesses to get in the pipeline for resources such as the TDI grants.

All of the Fall River survey respondents were added to the TDI Partnership’s mailing list and have been receiving updates and news of both the TDI resources and the Fall River Small Business Assistance Program, which is offering loans to eligible city businesses. A paper mailing also went out to every business in the TDI District April 7. The TDI Partnership, including One Southcoast Chamber of Commerce, E for All, We Love Fall River, and SER Jobs for Progress, has been working to coordinate with the city to provide a single point of access for small businesses.

The deadline to apply to sbap@fallriverma.org is 5 p.m. April 13. If funding remains available after the deadline, additional applications will be considered.

More information is available by emailing fallrivertdipartnership@gmail.com or calling Jim McKeag, Fall River TDI fellow, at 617-418-0728.